Universities and Online Degrees Guide

Stellenbosch University

Master of Philosophy in Health Systems and Services Research

The Master of Philosophy in Health Systems and Services Research in Health Professions is offered by Stellenbosch University.

Program Length: 4 YEARS.

Master of Philosophy in Health Systems and Services Research offered by the Stellenbosch University at the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences

Programme description

Health systems and services research is a multidisciplinary field of health research that studies the following: governance, financial and delivery arrangements for health care and public health services, implementation of considerations for reforming or strengthening these arrangements, and broader economic, legal, political and social contexts in which these arrangements operate and are negotiated. The purpose of health systems and services research is to improve the understanding and performance of health systems.

The teaching and learning strategy in each module is determined by the nature of the subject. Modules are presented within the framework of a student-centred approach with the purpose of stimulating critical thinking. The programme uses formal lectures, interactive learning, group sessions and e-learning. Independent learning is encouraged. A research assignment is completed under the guidance of a supervisor.

Programme content
The programme consists of modules with a total of 120 credits and a research assignment of 60 credits. You must complete ten modules of which eight are compulsory and two are elective modules. You may only take an elective module if you meet its prerequisites and if it doesn’t clash on the timetable with a compulsory module. Elective modules are only presented if the requisite minimum number of candidates enrol.

Compulsory modules

First year

Introduction to Health Systems and Public Health (12)
Fundamentals of Epidemiology (12)
Biostatistics I (12)
Economic Evaluation (12)
Research Proposal Writing and Grantsmanship (12)
Qualitative Research Methods (12)

 

Second year

Health Policy Analysis (12)
Writing and Reviewing Scientific Papers (12)

 

Elective modules

Monitoring and Evaluation (12)
Participatory (Action) Research Methods (12)
Survey Methods (12)
Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis (12)
Randomised Controlled Trials (12)
Biostatistics II (12)

 

Research project

Research Assignment *(60)
*The research project is completed over the course of the programme.

Assessment and examination
Modules

• You must attend scheduled contact sessions to be eligible to participate in the formative and summative assessment opportunities for modules.
• The summative assessment for each module is composed of assessment during the module (50%) and the final examination in the module (50%). You must achieve a minimum pass mark of 45% in the assessment during a module to gain access to the final examination in the module.
• The final mark for the programme is calculated according to the credit weights of the individual modules.
• You must obtain a final mark of at least 50% to pass the programme.
• If you fail any compulsory module more than once, you may be denied the right to reregister for the programme.
• You must successfully participate and integrate knowledge in projects, reports and assignments.

Research assignment

• You must submit a satisfactory research assignment demonstrating your ability to conduct an independent scientific investigation, to interpret the results and to draw conclusions from the results.
• You must submit the completed research assignment in the prescribed format. The assignment is assessed by both internal and external examiners according to the guidelines of Stellenbosch University.